CHAPTER 4

Entering Garrett's office Sue felt an increasingly overwhelming urge to run and hide. Flashes of her friends kept flickering thru her conscious mind and in each one was the image of Jack. Chewing furiously on her bottom lip she closed the door behind her and stared sadly at her boss.

Ted rose to his feet as Sue entered and beckoned her to join him. Sue sat down and faced him.

"Miss Thomas, I know this is going to be hard. We are asking you to deceive your friends and colleagues and I know you stand highly on the side of honesty. You are just going to have to be brutal and remember to look at the bigger picture at all times. Your involvement is most likely going to save lives."

Sue nodded sadly while she played with her thumbs. Ted leaned forward on the table and when he saw Sue turn her gaze back onto him he began.

"The plan is for you to storm out of here, furious at me and the bureau. Don't worry I am ready and able to take the slack from it all." He added when he saw the concerned look on her face. "You are then to go in clear out your desk and then leave the building making a great deal of noise. You will be escorted out of the building. Go back to you place and pack some clothes and when Lucy comes after you like I am sure she will. I want you to tell her that you need a break from DC and that you don't know where you are going to go. Make sure she knows that you will contact her at a later date. Don't give an exclamation. Keep it all vague. You are then to go straight to the airport where a ticket is held for you and Levi. In Las Vegas you will meet up with Jett in the foyer of Caesar palace. Your FBI contact and handler will be a man called Preston Hall. You will meet him in two days time. Jett has the details. Until that point makes sure you act as if you and Jett are boyfriend and girlfriend. Your next step will be explained to you by Preston. I was Preston supervisor many years ago and I trust him completely. Will then Miss Thomas" he said checking his watch. "The pen should be full now, do you think you are ready?"

Sue stared back at him her mind trying to process everything he had just said.

"Miss Thomas?"

"Yes, I am as ready as I am ever going to be"

"Then Sue," he said extending a hand. Sue taking it was pulled into a hug. Once apart he said, "I will be praying for you and I hope to see you soon, very soon"

Sue smiled slightly before straightened her clothes. Taking a deep steadying breath she smiled at Ted before filling her lungs.

She slammed the door behind her with great force, so much so she felt the vibrations. She stormed into the bullpen, her face red and twisted into a scowl.

Jack looked up and at once felt concern fill him. He had never seen Sue so steamed before. She flew glares around the room while muttering nonsense under her breath.
Jack got up and quickly covered the floor space to be at her side.

"Sue what's the matter?" he asked her making sure he was in her eye line.

"The matter? This place is what the matter is!" she shouted as her lungs burned. "I have had enough," she stated blankly while picking up an empty box and tossing it onto her desktop.

Lucy and Tara soon surrounded her. "What do you mean?" Asked Jack.

"What I mean is I am out of here."

"What!" proclaimed the Lucy and Tara while Jack stood there shocked into silence; Bobby, D and Myles joined them at this point.

With such speed she started to fill her box with her personal belongings. While two security men appeared at the doorway.

"I quit," she said as sadness consumed her.

"Why?" asked Jack touching her arm? She felt the surge of electricity shot up her arm and into her heart.

st because." she said picking up her box. Without looking any of them for fear of crying she walked over to her escorts. Her whole body was screaming to turn around and run into Jack's arms and to never leave his embrace. But her mind won over. Soon two burly security men flanked her. Nosily she left the building, tears burning at her eyes. Her heart wanting to leap out of her chest.

Jack stood there, as still as a boulder for several silent minutes of shock. Without saying a word he turned on his heel and flew to Garrett's office.

"What happened there?"

Ted sat behind his desk and watched the pain that was clearly displayed on Jack's face.

"Agent Hudson I would appreciate it if you knocked next time."

"Knock! Why did Sue quit? Answer me that?"

"It was her own personal decision. I am obliged to uphold her privacy. If you want to know I am afraid I am not the one to give you an answer. And my advice to you would be to give Sue some time to calm down before you go seeking for an answer to your questions."

Jack glowed before storming out of the room and back into the bullpen where he soon left to go and get some fresh air.

Sue collapsed wearily onto her bed. A sleepless night and the emotional roller coaster were taken its toll on her and the day was nowhere near over with. She forced herself up and pulled her suitcase out of her wardrobe and started to fill it with her nearest and dearest belongings; if only I could fit Jack in it she thought to herself. Yawning she sat on the lid to close it. Levi sat watching her every move, wondering what was going to come next. He watched with wide eyes as his belongings disappeared into a separate bag. She tossed her bags out into the hall by the door and waited to see whether Lucy or even Jack would turn up.

Seconds passed into minutes as time ticked on. She watched the hands on the clock move steadily round. She watched as her departure time drew closer and closer. If they didn't come soon she would have to go without bidding them a farewell. She sat on the edge of the chair facing the doorway, her hands in her lap, which held her watch while Levi lay at her feet. The stillness of the room made it all seem worse as her heart was anything but still. She wanted to scream, she wanted to throw things she wanted to break her heart but she knew without a shadow of a doubt that the time was not right to do such things. Instead she controlled herself more than she ever thought was possible.

It soon became clear that she had very little to no choice but to leave. Walking slowly over to the kitchen counter she lifted the notepad and pen and wrote the letter that needed to be wrote but not necessarily the one her heart was screaming at her to do. Placing it back down on the counter she walked while sliding her fingertips along the smooth surface. Picking up her bags she turned to face the empty room and the life she once knew and with a small tug off the lead her and Levi left.